Inside The Suns

Former Suns Help USA to Dominant Win Ahead of World Cup

Team USA features two former Phoenix Suns, who both chipped in to help in a dominant win during World Cup prep.
Donnie Druin|
Former Suns Help USA to Dominant Win Ahead of World Cup
Former Suns Help USA to Dominant Win Ahead of World Cup

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Phoenix Suns

The 2023 FIBA World Cup is nearly here, and two former Phoenix Suns helped the national team dominate in a 117-74 win over Puerto Rico in what was undoubtedly a successful warm-up game for the squad. 

Former Suns players Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson chipped in a combined 29 points to help the Americans tune themselves up for the World Cup, which begins Aug. 26. 

Bridges himself had 14 points, five rebounds, one assist and three steals in the win. Johnson's 15 points tied Anthony Edwards for a team-high while also chipping in six rebounds, one steal and one block. 

Suns fans miss both players - who established themselves as fan favorites before being shipped to the Brooklyn Nets in the massive trade that landed Kevin Durant. 

Via NBA.com, here's the rest of Team USA's exhibition schedule:

Saturday, Aug. 12: Slovenia (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1)

Sunday, Aug. 13: Spain (3:30 p.m. ET, Fox)

Friday, Aug. 18: Greece (12 p.m. ET, FS1)

Sunday, Aug. 20: Germany (12 p.m. ET, Fox)

Hoping to win the tournament for the third time in four tries, the USA take on New Zealand on Aug. 26, followed by Greece (Aug. 28) and Jordan (Aug. 30) in the group stage.

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Donnie Druin
DONNIE DRUIN

Donnie Druin is the Publisher for Arizona Cardinals and Phoenix Suns On SI. Donnie moved to Arizona in 2012 and has been with the company since 2018. In college he won "Best Sports Column" in the state of Arizona for his section and has previously provided coverage for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona State Sun Devils. Follow Donnie on Twitter @DonnieDruin for more news, updates, analysis and more!

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